"Yoshi Higuchi Bepp" by Ellen Bepp
photo Bob Hsiang
photo Bob Hsiang
Jade Wave Rising: Portraits in Power
East Wind ezine by Eddie Wong
https://eastwindezine.com/jade-wave-rising-exhibit-demonstrates-the-power-and-beauty-of-asian-american-women/eastwindezine.com/jade-wave-rising-exhibit-demonstrates-the-power-and-beauty-of-asian-american-women/
East Wind ezine by Eddie Wong
https://eastwindezine.com/jade-wave-rising-exhibit-demonstrates-the-power-and-beauty-of-asian-american-women/eastwindezine.com/jade-wave-rising-exhibit-demonstrates-the-power-and-beauty-of-asian-american-women/
SANSEI GRANDDAUGHTERS' JOURNEY: FROM REMEMBERANCE TO RESISTANCE
COMMENTARIES
George Rivera, former museum of art Executive Director and Senior Curator at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara:
"Thank you and to you and your friends and colleagues in this powerful exhibition for this extraordinary presentation. Throughout my long career in the arts I have experienced some extraordinary art exhibitions and programs throughout the world. Many of them effected me deeply on many levels. Seeing, hearing, and experiencing today’s exhibition and programs ranks up there with those extraordinary experiences. This presentation rocked me deeply and I will be off-center for a few days as I sort through all of my emotions, thoughts, feelings and perspectives. All of this in the most positive way and manner.
As if this powerful exhibition of strong art wasn’t enough to rock one’s world, then we hear this soul piercing deeply emotional music, followed by words of history of those who shared what it was like for their family. Kristin cried and had tears throughout todays event, my eyes teamed up and I cried deeply inside. This was powerful, this was unsettling, uncomfortable for many, troubling for what had happened and what could happen, this was life’s poetry, this was what I would describe to my students as the power and definition of sublime.”
COMMENTARIES
George Rivera, former museum of art Executive Director and Senior Curator at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara:
"Thank you and to you and your friends and colleagues in this powerful exhibition for this extraordinary presentation. Throughout my long career in the arts I have experienced some extraordinary art exhibitions and programs throughout the world. Many of them effected me deeply on many levels. Seeing, hearing, and experiencing today’s exhibition and programs ranks up there with those extraordinary experiences. This presentation rocked me deeply and I will be off-center for a few days as I sort through all of my emotions, thoughts, feelings and perspectives. All of this in the most positive way and manner.
As if this powerful exhibition of strong art wasn’t enough to rock one’s world, then we hear this soul piercing deeply emotional music, followed by words of history of those who shared what it was like for their family. Kristin cried and had tears throughout todays event, my eyes teamed up and I cried deeply inside. This was powerful, this was unsettling, uncomfortable for many, troubling for what had happened and what could happen, this was life’s poetry, this was what I would describe to my students as the power and definition of sublime.”
NEWS BROADCASTS
ABC7NEWS August 27, 2022 (featuring Kathy Fujii-Oka and Reiko Fujii)
https://abc7news.com/12175478/
THE SAN MATEO DAILY JOURNAL August 27, 2022 (featuring Kathy Fujii-Oka)
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/sansei-granddaughters-journey-at-the-shops-at-tanforan-in-san-bruno/image_b4639cb6-25b7-11ed-9267-87ec46380931.html
KPFA-WOMENS MAGAZINE August 22, 2022 (featuring Ellen Bepp, Kathy Fujii-Oka and Shari Arai De Boer)
https://kpfa.org/program/womens-magazine/
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS August 18, 2022 (featuring Ellen Bepp)
https://www.kalw.org/show/sights-sounds/2022-08-18/sights-and-sounds-ellen-bepp
CROSSCURRENTS August 17, 2022 (featuring Ellen Bepp)
https://www.kalw.org/arts-culture/2022-08-17/artists-tell-story-of-japanese-incarceration-in-exhibit-sansei-granddaughters-journey-from-remembrance-to-resistance
KRON4.COM August 13, 2022 (featuring Shari Arai DeBoer)
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/exhibit-on-japanese-internment-camps-at-tanforan-mall-in-san-bruno/
KKUP July 20, 2022 (featuring Shari Arai DeBoer and Ellen Bepp)
KKUP Interview_7_20_2022
NEWS ARTICLES
Nichi Bei Weekly by Derek Tahara
https://www.nichibei.org/2022/08/sansei-granddaughters-create-incarceration-artwork/
TheSixtyFifty.com (featuring Na Omi Judy Shintani)
https://www.thesixfifty.com/how-5-bay-area-artists-pilgrimage-to-the-past-inspired-sansei-granddaughters-journey-in-san-bruno-12764/
Discover Nikkei (featuring Lucien Kubo)
https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2022/8/4/sansei-granddaughters-journey/
KTVU-TV Web Story
https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-bruno-art-exhibit-honors-history-of-wwii-japanese-american-incarceration-open-until-sept-3
San Mateo Daily Journal (featuring Shari Arai DeBoer)
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/community/sansei-granddaughters-journey/image_051de326-0be8-11ed-b468-57a92f28834b.html
The Rafu Shimpo
https://rafu.com/2022/07/sansei-granddaughters-journey-from-remembrance-to-resistance/
Lodi News (featuring Na Omi Judy Shintani)
https://www.lodinews.com/news/article_521ea618-ec5a-11ec-bd90-ebaa87787c7a.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
Pacific Citizen, National Newspaper of the JACL:
https://www.pacificcitizen.org/sansei-granddaughters-journey-from-remembrance-to-resistance/
6Park.news/utah
https://6park.news/utah/sanseis-granddaughters-journey-from-memory-to-resistance.html
San Jose State University (featuring Na Omi Judy Shintani)
https://blogs.sjsu.edu/newsroom/2022/alumna-na-omi-judy-shintanis-art-memorializes-wwii-incarceration-camp-survivors/
ABC7NEWS August 27, 2022 (featuring Kathy Fujii-Oka and Reiko Fujii)
https://abc7news.com/12175478/
THE SAN MATEO DAILY JOURNAL August 27, 2022 (featuring Kathy Fujii-Oka)
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/sansei-granddaughters-journey-at-the-shops-at-tanforan-in-san-bruno/image_b4639cb6-25b7-11ed-9267-87ec46380931.html
KPFA-WOMENS MAGAZINE August 22, 2022 (featuring Ellen Bepp, Kathy Fujii-Oka and Shari Arai De Boer)
https://kpfa.org/program/womens-magazine/
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS August 18, 2022 (featuring Ellen Bepp)
https://www.kalw.org/show/sights-sounds/2022-08-18/sights-and-sounds-ellen-bepp
CROSSCURRENTS August 17, 2022 (featuring Ellen Bepp)
https://www.kalw.org/arts-culture/2022-08-17/artists-tell-story-of-japanese-incarceration-in-exhibit-sansei-granddaughters-journey-from-remembrance-to-resistance
KRON4.COM August 13, 2022 (featuring Shari Arai DeBoer)
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/exhibit-on-japanese-internment-camps-at-tanforan-mall-in-san-bruno/
KKUP July 20, 2022 (featuring Shari Arai DeBoer and Ellen Bepp)
KKUP Interview_7_20_2022
NEWS ARTICLES
Nichi Bei Weekly by Derek Tahara
https://www.nichibei.org/2022/08/sansei-granddaughters-create-incarceration-artwork/
TheSixtyFifty.com (featuring Na Omi Judy Shintani)
https://www.thesixfifty.com/how-5-bay-area-artists-pilgrimage-to-the-past-inspired-sansei-granddaughters-journey-in-san-bruno-12764/
Discover Nikkei (featuring Lucien Kubo)
https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2022/8/4/sansei-granddaughters-journey/
KTVU-TV Web Story
https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-bruno-art-exhibit-honors-history-of-wwii-japanese-american-incarceration-open-until-sept-3
San Mateo Daily Journal (featuring Shari Arai DeBoer)
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/community/sansei-granddaughters-journey/image_051de326-0be8-11ed-b468-57a92f28834b.html
The Rafu Shimpo
https://rafu.com/2022/07/sansei-granddaughters-journey-from-remembrance-to-resistance/
Lodi News (featuring Na Omi Judy Shintani)
https://www.lodinews.com/news/article_521ea618-ec5a-11ec-bd90-ebaa87787c7a.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
Pacific Citizen, National Newspaper of the JACL:
https://www.pacificcitizen.org/sansei-granddaughters-journey-from-remembrance-to-resistance/
6Park.news/utah
https://6park.news/utah/sanseis-granddaughters-journey-from-memory-to-resistance.html
San Jose State University (featuring Na Omi Judy Shintani)
https://blogs.sjsu.edu/newsroom/2022/alumna-na-omi-judy-shintanis-art-memorializes-wwii-incarceration-camp-survivors/
PRESS RELEASE
SANSEI GRANDDAUGHTERS’ JOURNEY
From Remembrance to Resistance
July 24 – September 3, 2022
From Remembrance to Resistance
July 24 – September 3, 2022
San Francisco, CA – June 2, 2022 – Honoring the history about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II provides an opportunity to understand the terrible injustices that took place. A new art exhibition called Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey: From Remembrance to Resistance is on display from Sunday, July 24 through Saturday, Sept. 3 at the AZ Gallery at the Shops at Tanforan, San Bruno, CA. Most significant is the fact that the AZ Gallery is on the land where the former Tanforan Racetrack and Tanforan temporary detention center stood.
Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey features the work of five noted third generation (sansei) Japanese American artists who have dedicated their wide-ranging art careers to honor the legacy of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. The participating artists are Shari Arai DeBoer, Ellen Bepp, Reiko Fujii, Kathy Fujii-Oka, and Na Omi Judy Shintani. On display are impressive works of art, including video, installation works, prints, paintings, and mixed media pieces.
Eighty years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which unjustly ordered the forcible removal of Japanese Americans from their homes and incarceration in American concentration camps. As descendants, the five artists share a unique vision that, through art, brings to life the dehumanizing conditions in which Japanese Americans were forced to live, including poor housing and food, a lack of privacy, and inadequate medical care.
“The injustice of our government incarcerating innocent men, women, and children based on greed, fear, and racial prejudice, resulting in the loss of life, homes, businesses, trust, and self-esteem, is deplorable,” says Reiko Fujii, a participating artist. “I am adamant about chronicling their stories so that they are a recorded part of American history and that these people’s experiences are not forgotten.”
A main feature of the exhibition will be the Sunday, Aug. 14th screening of the film Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey (2020, 27 minutes), which documents the five artists’ experiences on an annual pilgrimage in 2018 to the WWII Manzanar camp. This film was produced and directed by Shari Arai DeBoer, Ellen Bepp, Reiko Fujii, Kathy Fujii-Oka, and Na Omi Judy Shintani and includes archival photos from families and the Densho Encyclopedia. A facilitated discussion follows the film screening.
Did you know?
To further deepen the public’s understanding of this forced incarceration, the exhibition coincides with this year’s unveiling of the “Tanforan Memorial,” located between the San Bruno BART Station and the Tanforan shopping mall, and the updated permanent exhibition “Tanforan Incarceration 1942,” which is within the San Bruno BART Station. Some of the scheduled programs will present personal stories about the Tanforan incarceration experience.
"The core of my art is about searching, understanding, and healing - things you can't get from a textbook," says artist Na Omi Judy Shintani.
The aim of this exhibition and educational programming is to inspire dialogue about racial discrimination, identity and civil liberties, trauma experienced by those rounded up and incarcerated, and more. “People who are different are not necessarily dangerous, even if they ‘resemble’ the enemy in some way,” Shintani says. “Learning from the past can lead to the equitable and humane treatment of all people.”
Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey features the work of five noted third generation (sansei) Japanese American artists who have dedicated their wide-ranging art careers to honor the legacy of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. The participating artists are Shari Arai DeBoer, Ellen Bepp, Reiko Fujii, Kathy Fujii-Oka, and Na Omi Judy Shintani. On display are impressive works of art, including video, installation works, prints, paintings, and mixed media pieces.
Eighty years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which unjustly ordered the forcible removal of Japanese Americans from their homes and incarceration in American concentration camps. As descendants, the five artists share a unique vision that, through art, brings to life the dehumanizing conditions in which Japanese Americans were forced to live, including poor housing and food, a lack of privacy, and inadequate medical care.
“The injustice of our government incarcerating innocent men, women, and children based on greed, fear, and racial prejudice, resulting in the loss of life, homes, businesses, trust, and self-esteem, is deplorable,” says Reiko Fujii, a participating artist. “I am adamant about chronicling their stories so that they are a recorded part of American history and that these people’s experiences are not forgotten.”
A main feature of the exhibition will be the Sunday, Aug. 14th screening of the film Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey (2020, 27 minutes), which documents the five artists’ experiences on an annual pilgrimage in 2018 to the WWII Manzanar camp. This film was produced and directed by Shari Arai DeBoer, Ellen Bepp, Reiko Fujii, Kathy Fujii-Oka, and Na Omi Judy Shintani and includes archival photos from families and the Densho Encyclopedia. A facilitated discussion follows the film screening.
Did you know?
- In 1942 at the start of WWII, the Tanforan racetrack was transformed into the Tanforan temporary detention center.
- Nearly 8,000 people, mostly Japanese Americans from the San Francisco Bay Area, were imprisoned at Tanforan from April 28 to Oct. 13, 1942, a total of 171 days.
- About half of the detainees lived in former horse stalls.
- Most of those incarcerated were transferred to the Central Utah WRA camp, also known as Topaz.
To further deepen the public’s understanding of this forced incarceration, the exhibition coincides with this year’s unveiling of the “Tanforan Memorial,” located between the San Bruno BART Station and the Tanforan shopping mall, and the updated permanent exhibition “Tanforan Incarceration 1942,” which is within the San Bruno BART Station. Some of the scheduled programs will present personal stories about the Tanforan incarceration experience.
"The core of my art is about searching, understanding, and healing - things you can't get from a textbook," says artist Na Omi Judy Shintani.
The aim of this exhibition and educational programming is to inspire dialogue about racial discrimination, identity and civil liberties, trauma experienced by those rounded up and incarcerated, and more. “People who are different are not necessarily dangerous, even if they ‘resemble’ the enemy in some way,” Shintani says. “Learning from the past can lead to the equitable and humane treatment of all people.”
Location:
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AZ Gallery, The Shops at Tanforan
1150 El Camino Real, Suite 254, San Bruno, CA 94066 |
Dates:
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Sunday, July 24 through Saturday, Sept. 3
|
Hours:
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Wed – Fri 11-4 pm, Sat 11-6 pm, Sun 11-5 pm
|
Opening reception:
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Saturday, July 30, 12:30-3:00 pm PDT
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Admission:
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No charge
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# # #
Support provided by Dragonfly Community Arts
With additional support from the AZ Gallery
and the Asian American Women Artists Association
With additional support from the AZ Gallery
and the Asian American Women Artists Association
More About the Exhibition
Where did our art concept come from?
The concept of this exhibit was born in April 2018 when the five artists, Shari Arai DeBoer, Ellen Bepp, Reiko Fujii, Kathy Fujii-Oka, and Na Omi Judy Shintani, first came together to travel to the 49th Annual Pilgrimage to the WWII Manzanar incarceration camp in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Independence, CA. As descendants of family members who were imprisoned during the war, we wanted a way to honor our ancestors who had endured this tragic injustice.
Also in 2018, we began collaborating artistically to plan ways to pay tribute to incarcerated Japanese Americans and the impact of incarceration on their descendants. We created symbolic pieces such as paper lanterns, embellished pine branches and performed an honoring ceremony to our ancestors, and to the original Indigenous peoples of that land. Subsequently, the recorded documentation of our travels was turned into the film “Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey” (2020).
We have presented this film at various venues and it was also included in national and regional film festivals including the 2020 Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest, the 2021 DisOrient Film Festival in Eugene, Oregon, and the 2022 Films of Remembrance in San Francisco.
When artist Na Omi Judy Shintani was contacted by the AZ Gallery regarding a possible exhibit coinciding with the other related Tanforan Memorial events, The Tanforan Memorial and the Tanforan Incarceration 1942 permanent exhibition, it was a natural fit and we agreed to display our art at the AZ Gallery.
Our artworks portray the real-life stories of our families’ experiences before, during, and post camp. Pain, anguish, loss, and trauma can be perceived through our art. However, the exhibit not only focuses on history, but it also speaks to current US life and culture – remembering, projecting, creating connection, and engaging in dialogue. As artists, we believe we each have the responsibility to present the viewer with different perspectives of the world. We are committed to bringing these past stories to the present day and beyond, addressing current issues that are rooted in the same kind of racism and xenophobia. Our main message is that we must not repeat this history.
The premise of this exhibition is that art and personal stories provide understanding and help those in all communities and generations connect and engage in ways that go beyond textbooks. Through art and education, deeper understanding can bring healing and awareness and ultimately a less divided world.
“Through our collective art, we serve as a voice for those who no longer are able to tell their stories,” says artist Ellen Bepp. “We will continue to push for racial equity and social justice today and in the future.”
The concept of this exhibit was born in April 2018 when the five artists, Shari Arai DeBoer, Ellen Bepp, Reiko Fujii, Kathy Fujii-Oka, and Na Omi Judy Shintani, first came together to travel to the 49th Annual Pilgrimage to the WWII Manzanar incarceration camp in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Independence, CA. As descendants of family members who were imprisoned during the war, we wanted a way to honor our ancestors who had endured this tragic injustice.
Also in 2018, we began collaborating artistically to plan ways to pay tribute to incarcerated Japanese Americans and the impact of incarceration on their descendants. We created symbolic pieces such as paper lanterns, embellished pine branches and performed an honoring ceremony to our ancestors, and to the original Indigenous peoples of that land. Subsequently, the recorded documentation of our travels was turned into the film “Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey” (2020).
We have presented this film at various venues and it was also included in national and regional film festivals including the 2020 Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest, the 2021 DisOrient Film Festival in Eugene, Oregon, and the 2022 Films of Remembrance in San Francisco.
When artist Na Omi Judy Shintani was contacted by the AZ Gallery regarding a possible exhibit coinciding with the other related Tanforan Memorial events, The Tanforan Memorial and the Tanforan Incarceration 1942 permanent exhibition, it was a natural fit and we agreed to display our art at the AZ Gallery.
Our artworks portray the real-life stories of our families’ experiences before, during, and post camp. Pain, anguish, loss, and trauma can be perceived through our art. However, the exhibit not only focuses on history, but it also speaks to current US life and culture – remembering, projecting, creating connection, and engaging in dialogue. As artists, we believe we each have the responsibility to present the viewer with different perspectives of the world. We are committed to bringing these past stories to the present day and beyond, addressing current issues that are rooted in the same kind of racism and xenophobia. Our main message is that we must not repeat this history.
The premise of this exhibition is that art and personal stories provide understanding and help those in all communities and generations connect and engage in ways that go beyond textbooks. Through art and education, deeper understanding can bring healing and awareness and ultimately a less divided world.
“Through our collective art, we serve as a voice for those who no longer are able to tell their stories,” says artist Ellen Bepp. “We will continue to push for racial equity and social justice today and in the future.”